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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23846428">where did you sleep last night (in the pines, in the pines, where the sun don't ever shine)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose1002/pseuds/blackrose1002'>blackrose1002</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackVultures/pseuds/BlackVultures'>BlackVultures</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>MacGyver (TV 2016)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Airplane Crashes, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Broken Bones, Dirty Talk, First Kiss, First Time, Getting Together, Hand Jobs, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mission Fic, Mutual Pining, Nightmares, Pining, Praise Kink, Sharing a Bed, Survival, Why'd It Have To Be Nazis?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:28:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>17,988</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23846428</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose1002/pseuds/blackrose1002, https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackVultures/pseuds/BlackVultures</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>They were rolling on the floor as all the alarms the plane had started beeping, lights flashing, and Mac realized all at once there was nothing he could do to stop it. He hated feeling so useless and there was a sudden, panicked thought in his head that... not only was he going to die, but that <i>Jack</i> was going to die with him. As the plane kept falling down, there was a hand grabbing his arm, and before Mac knew what was happening Jack was wrapping him in his arms.</p>
<p>The last thing his brain registered was how warm Jack was—and then there was a loud <i>CRASH</i> and everything went black.</p>
<p>(AKA if we followed the show's episode title formula, this would probably be called "Mac + Jack + Plane Crash + Nazis"!)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jack Dalton/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Riley Davis/Desiree "Desi" Nguyen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>165</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi guys! This is a weird little fic that <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose1002/pseuds/blackrose1002">blackrose1002</a> and I wrote last summer after Season 3 concluded. Basically we wanted it to feature all your favorite things: MacDalton, hurt/comfort, a unintended mission, and the team kicking ass. <b>Because this was written before we knew anything about Season 4 (which I'm loving, the only thing that would make it better is Jack), Russ isn't here and Mac and Desi never dated. Also James is 100% alive and will remain that way in all of our fics unless explicitly stated otherwise.</b> As always, any mistakes are my own because I put this together and please let us know what you think! Enjoy!</p>
<p>
  <b>P.S., if you're reading without an ao3 account, you can leave comments on my fics now! I had anon comments turned off because of some previous anon hate I received in another fandom.</b>
</p>
<p>(Title is from "Where Did You Sleep Last Night", a folk song that was most famously covered by Nirvana.)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Angus MacGyver looked out from his window seat at the wilderness passing below the Phoenix Foundation jet and wondered how the hell he managed to screw up one of the most important relationships in his life. He and Jack had just finished up their first mission together after Jack got cleared for field ops again, having come back from the Kovacs mission about a month prior. Despite the fact that they completed the mission and did everything right, things still felt... off, in a way that Mac couldn’t pin down. They’d been like that since Mac came back from Nigeria, since Jack shook his hand and told him what a “good friend” he was and Mac felt like he’d gotten stabbed in the ribs. He twisted a paperclip between his fingers as he thought, but he was brought out of his little trance by Jack’s voice.</p>
<p>“Hey,” Jack said, and when Mac glanced at him he nodded toward the plane window. “How much time you think we’ve spent riding in planes?”</p>
<p>Mac frowned, tilting his head a little, but he wasn’t complaining about a weird question like that—anything to get Jack to talk and maybe start working on fixing their friendship. “I... have no idea,” Mac said after a moment. “I could do some calculations if you want?” He offered that with a small grin and Jack smiled back, making Mac’s heart jump a little. He loved all of Jack’s smiles, except for those thin, forced ones, but that one was genuine. “What brought this on?”</p>
<p>Jack shrugged—not dismissively, just like he was unsure. “I dunno, I was just thinking about how many times I’ve sat across from you like this,” he explained, and Mac had the passing thought that maybe he wasn’t the only one feeling awkward and insecure. “Then I was thinking about how many times I flew in a plane before I met you—hell, before you were <em>born</em>—and it struck me that it’s probably a lot.”</p>
<p>Mac pulled in a breath to crack a joke—something about being surprised they had planes in the Stone Age—but he never got to say the words because an object hit the plane’s right wing and sheared it almost completely off. The impact sent the plane into a nosedive that flung both of them out of their seats and on to the floor, and Mac thought he heard Jack yelling his name, but he couldn’t be sure.</p>
<p>They were rolling on the floor as all the alarms the plane had started beeping, lights flashing, and Mac realized all at once there was nothing he could do to stop it. He hated feeling so useless and there was a sudden, panicked thought in his head that... not only was he going to die, but that <em>Jack</em> was going to die with him. As the plane kept falling down, there was a hand grabbing his arm, and before Mac knew what was happening Jack was wrapping him in his arms.</p>
<p>The last thing his brain registered was how warm Jack was—and then there was a loud <em>CRASH</em> and everything went black.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>~***~</p>
<p>The first thing Mac’s brain told him when it came back online was that he couldn’t breathe.</p>
<p>He coughed hard, rolling on his side, and when he cracked his eyes open all he saw was smoke for a moment before the interior of the plane came into focus. It was twisted up like a discarded soda can, the seats yanked up around him like a mouthful of teeth. He coughed again and wondered if the fuselage was intact—if not, the burning was about to get a lot worse. A quick wriggle of all his limbs told him he wasn’t too badly hurt, most likely some cuts and bruises, since he felt blood trickling down the side of his face.</p>
<p>He pushed himself up to his knees and looked around, moving things until he found one of Jack’s hands… which was eerily still. “Jack? Hey, Jack, wake up,” Mac said, coughing more, and shoved a seat aside to reveal his partner’s unconscious body.</p>
<p>His right arm looked okay, but his left one was bent at the wrong angle, clearly broken. He checked Jack’s pulse and was relieved to find it steady, then stood up and headed to the back of the plane, shouldering open the emergency door to reveal nothing but tall pine trees and debris from the crash. It was getting steadily hotter inside, to the point where Mac was sweating, so he knew he couldn’t wait for Jack to wake up before he moved him—that meant dragging him to safety.</p>
<p>He went back to Jack who unfortunately hadn’t woken up on his own. Bending down, Mac grabbed him under his arms, hoping he wouldn’t do more damage to his broken arm, and he started dragging him outside. It was difficult since the inside of the plane was a mess and he had to avoid the seats and other shit blocking his way. Jack was heavy, dead weight and that made moving him so much harder, but Mac was determined—there was no other option, he needed to get him out and he needed to do it fast.</p>
<p>Finally he managed to drag Jack outside and by the time he fell to his knees by Jack’s side, Mac was all wet with sweat and breathing heavily, and Jack... Jack was <em>still</em> fucking unconscious. Before he tried waking Jack up again, Mac jogged back to the plane and dug around for a minute. He found Jack’s bag but not his own and shoved the plane’s first aid kit into it since it was remarkably intact. Then he ran to the nose of the plane and peered in through the shattered cockpit, but all he saw was a mess of blood and bone; the pilot probably died on impact.</p>
<p>He headed back to Jack and fell on his knees next to him, dumping the supplies on the ground. “Jack, please,” he whispered, bending down to listen to his heart, then his sinus rhythm—both normal, so he pulled his hand back and slapped him across the face. It wasn’t hard enough to cause any damage, just to sting, and Jack came around with a gasp and then a strangled curse, no doubt feeling the pain from his arm.</p>
<p>“Shhh, I know it hurts, don’t move,” Mac said, and he reached underneath Jack to pull his gun from his waistband. He pressed it into Jack’s right hand and shakily got to his feet. “I’ll be right back, okay? I need to go check and see if I can find more stuff before—” He was cut off by the boom of jet fuel igniting, what was left of the plane going up in a burst of flames. “Shit,” Mac breathed, and then crouched low over Jack again. “Can you stand? We need to get further away in case the fire spreads.”</p>
<p>“Y-yeah, I think so,” Jack groaned, and slowly sat up, wincing and stifling a pained sound when he moved his left arm. He glanced around a little, and Mac was relieved to see his eyes were clear and his grip on the gun was firm.</p>
<p>He grabbed Jack’s bag and then helped him stand, steadying him when Jack swayed a little. “Come on,” he muttered, gently wrapping his arm around Jack’s waist. Slowly they started walking, step by step, and once they were far enough from the plane, Mac helped Jack sit back down.</p>
<p>“What the fuck happened, Mac?” Jack groaned again, leaning against a tree and breathing in and out a few times, glancing at his left arm before looking away.</p>
<p>“I’m not sure,” Mac said, and he sat next to Jack on the ground and did a quick head to toe check. Like Mac he had some bumps and scrapes, including one on the back of his head, but he didn’t appear concussed. His worst injury seemed to be the broken arm, which Mac could probably fix, but in this setting it wouldn’t be pretty. “Something hit the wing on the right side of the plane, and then we started going down.” He thought about it some more and froze. “It was almost like... like we got <em>shot</em> down. An anti-aircraft missile could do that.” He glanced around, but once again saw nothing but trees and dirt and rocks. “But who would have an AAM in the middle of... fuck, I don’t even know what state we were over when we crashed. Vermont or New York, maybe.”</p>
<p>“Mac, if someone shot us down they probably will look for the wreck to see if anyone survived,” Jack said, glancing around just like Mac and gripping his gun tighter. “And probably finish the job,” he added with a grimace. “Please tell me if I’m wrong, but knowing our luck are phones are busted and all I have left are the bullets in my gun, because the rest of the ammo is gone.”</p>
<p>“You’re right,” Mac said grimly. “Someone’s gonna come looking for us, just not who we want it to be.” He checked his pocket and then Jack’s, and yep, their phones were crushed into pieces. The electronics could be useful so he dumped them in Jack’s bag, then dug around to see what else was in there—and made a triumphant sound when he came up with a spare clip for Jack’s gun.</p>
<p>Jack shoved it in the inside pocket of his leather jacket, and then Mac helped him stand again, throwing the bag over his shoulder. He glanced up and finds the sun, then figured out which way was north—he remembered seeing the gleam of water right before all hell broke loose in the sky, so they were near a river or lake. That was a water source, but it also put them further away from the crash site. “Come on, let’s get out of here before any visitors show up,” Mac said. “If we can find some kind of shelter I’ll see what I can do about your arm.”</p>
<p>Jack seemed to be able to walk on his own and while that was good, a small part of Mac wished he could press himself closely to Jack again like he did to help him walk. But this way they were moving faster, so Mac couldn’t complain. “You think someone was targeting us or if they chose our jet at random?” Mac asked after a while, glancing at Jack, searching for any sign of pain.</p>
<p>“No clue,” Jack said, and while his voice was tight, other than that he seemed fine. “I’d rather not hang around to find out.”</p>
<p>They kept walking in silence, not wanting to attract any attention and after a while they reached a river... and then Mac spotted a small cabin that looked abandoned. He pointed it out and they stayed in the cover of the trees for a moment, watching for any signs of life, but nobody was around but them and some rabbits hopping in scrub brush. They approached the cabin from behind and Jack insisted on clearing it with his gun (and his broken arm), and then he ushered Mac inside. It was a little one-room deal with wide plank floors and some rudimentary comforts, like a bed and a propane-powered cook stove.</p>
<p>“This was probably someone’s fishing cabin,” Mac mused, dusting away some of the cobwebs. They shut the door behind them, and there was even a bar to go across it to keep out intruders. “Here, sit on the bed, let me see your arm. Can you get it out of the jacket?”</p>
<p>“I can, but that ain’t gonna be pleasant,” Jack grumbled, doing as he was told and sitting on the bed. He set the gun aside and slowly started to take his jacket off, gritting his teeth in pain. Mac helped as much as he could, but they didn’t avoid jostling Jack’s arm a little. He stifled a groan, cursing under his breath, but finally the jacket was off. “Go ahead, you can play nurse now.”</p>
<p>Mac carefully grasped Jack’s shoulder and lined his arm up as straight as it could go. “Okay, so obviously you don’t have a compound fracture, and it’s not a spiral fracture either, which was what I was afraid of.” He felt carefully at Jack’s forearm, apologizing when he hissed in pain. “I think it’s a clean break. I can probably find something to splint it with so it stays straight.” He got up and rummaged around, eventually coming up with a flat piece of wood and some old curtains that he tore into strips. He slid the wood under Jack’s arm where it rested flat on the bed, then manipulated the bones so they were lined up, squeezing his eyes shut when Jack actually whimpered because it hurt so bad. Then he wrapped it up and made a sling from the rest of the curtains, which he secured around Jack’s neck. “Hopefully the first aid kit has some painkillers in it.”</p>
<p>“Not sure painkillers are the best idea right now, hoss,” Jack said, still clearly in pain as he breathed slowly with his eyes closed. “What if someone finds us here? I need to be able to shoot straight, can’t do that if I’m high on drugs.”</p>
<p>“You... have a point,” Mac admitted. “Doesn’t mean I like it, though.” He opened the first aid kit anyway and started cleaning out Jack’s other wounds. It only took a few minutes, and then Mac did the same thing for himself, scrubbing the blood off his face.</p>
<p>“Hey, are <em>you</em> okay?” Jack asked, watching Mac move around the cabin again, looking for anything useful.</p>
<p>“I think so,” Mac said, and he felt a spark of happiness when he found a half-empty case of bottled water. The bottles were still sealed so they were safe to drink, and he came back to sit on the bed next to Jack, cracking one open and handing it to him. “A little banged up, but not as bad as you.”</p>
<p>Jack looked relieved when he heard that, smiling even though he was clearly in pain. “That’s good. We need that big brain of yours to get us out of this.”</p>
<p>It was a very Jack thing to do, being happy about him being hurt instead of Mac. In that moment Mac remembered how Jack wrapped him in his arms seconds before the crash and he suddenly realized that it wasn’t just a comfort thing—Jack was trying to protect him. It was possible that if it wasn’t for him Mac would’ve ended up with a broken arm and for some reason that made Mac pause. “You... you tried to protect me. Before the plane crashed.” The words were out of Mac’s mouth before he could stop them, and he didn’t even know why he was so surprised. Jack was always protecting him, he knew that, but... their friendship wasn’t doing that great now.</p>
<p>“Of course I did,” Jack said, and he looked at Mac with something warm in those brown eyes of his, something that Mac didn’t realize he’d missed seeing until now. “That’s my job. And besides, you know I can’t stand seeing you hurt. Remember that time in Japan?”</p>
<p>Mac did in fact, remember that particular mission—he’d gotten his skull split open and Jack was a nervous wreck even while he was killing bad guys. “Thank you, Jack,” Mac said quietly, staring at the floor, and he glanced up in surprise when Jack shifted his water bottle to the hand that was in the sling and puts his good one on Mac’s arm.</p>
<p>“You never have to thank me, Mac,” Jack said. “I’m always gonna have your back.”</p>
<p>And in that moment things suddenly went back to normal. There was nothing awkward or off about that exchange, it felt... just like it should’ve, and Mac could only hope that feeling was going to last, because, god, he missed them being like that. There was something in the tone of Jack’s voice... like a promise. That it didn’t matter what happened or if they fought, Jack would always going to be there watching Mac’s back, and suddenly Mac had to try very hard not to get emotional about it.</p>
<p>He gave Jack a small smile instead before focusing back on their current problems. “How’s the pain? You sure you can handle it?” he asked, giving Jack a serious look. “If you’re too distracted by the pain you’re not gonna be able to shoot straight either.”</p>
<p>Jack grumbled a little. “I guess maybe I could talk half of something,” he relented, and Mac had to duck his head to hide how his smile grew while he popped a pain pill out of a blister pack. He broke it in half and gave it to Jack, who swallowed it dutifully before he asked, “Okay, so how the hell is the team gonna find us?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Mac replied, stifling a yawn. The sun was just starting to go down behind the trees, but neither of them had a chance to sleep while they were on their last mission. “The black box on the plane was destroyed in that explosion, but once they realize the plane didn’t land in LA they should be able to track its last GPS ping. I guess we just have to wait, at least for right now.”</p>
<p>“Sounds like it could take them a minute.” Jack sighed. “You should get some sleep. I’ll keep watch.”</p>
<p>Mac shook his head. “You’re barely awake as well. Look, as far as I know we didn’t leave any trails behind, so maybe... maybe whoever finds the wreck will assume we died in the crash or the explosion? Anyway, I don’t think they’re gonna find us here, at least not right away...” He trailed off, fiddling with his fingers a little. “We should both get some sleep. The bed is big enough.”</p>
<p>Jack debated that for a moment before he sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. “Yeah, okay. I’m not thrilled about it, but I can’t keep my eyes open and that doesn’t lend itself to shooting straight either.”</p>
<p>It was getting colder in the cabin and Mac shivered. He got up and dug around for a while, finding some extra blankets and kicking off his boots. He took Jack’s off as well—it was bad enough that they had to sleep in their jeans—and Jack scooted over to make room for him. He also put himself between the door and Mac... and that made something funny happen in Mac’s chest. He covered them with the blankets, and since Jack had to lay on his back Mac did too, their shoulders touching lightly.</p>
<p>It would only get colder when it got dark, and Mac was definitely not thinking about all the times they’d had to cuddle for warmth. Mac was lying on Jack’s right side which meant he could press himself against him without hurting his left arm... but no, Mac couldn’t do that. Jack probably wouldn’t be comfortable with that, although it seemed like their relationship was on its slow way back to how things used to be. Mac couldn’t help but shiver again, not knowing if it was because of the cold or because of Jack being so close, maybe both.</p>
<p>Jack obviously noticed, and he sits up a little. “Hang on,” he said and then leaned down to grab something from the floor... handing Mac his leather jacket that he had taken off before. “Here, wrap yourself in it.”</p>
<p>“Jack, no—” Mac started to protest.</p>
<p>Jack just lifted his hand, cutting him off. “Not gonna argue here with you, man—we need your brain working, not frozen.”</p>
<p>Reluctantly, Mac wrapped the jacket around himself and was immediately hit with the comforting smell of Jack—leather and gunpowder, Mac’s favorite smell in the world. He also decided to fuck everything and after a second of hesitation he rolled on his side... and carefully slid his arm around Jack’s middle. Jack shifted his good arm and wrapped it around Mac, pulling him closer, so Mac decided it was probably safe to settle his head on Jack’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“You realize I might not be able to do much more than keep us alive, right?” Mac whispered, although he wasn’t sure why—they were the only people there, but it just felt like they needed to be quiet. “If we’re too far away from civilization, then—”</p>
<p>“Keeping us alive is important, Mac,” Jack said, his voice rumbling near Mac’s ear. “And like I said before, I just... I’m supposed to keep you safe. You know that.”</p>
<p>“I know that,” Mac said, frowning a little because there was something about Jack’s voice he didn’t like, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. “And you did. If it wasn’t for you there’s a chance I would have gotten more hurt in the crash.” Jack didn’t say anything, so Mac kept talking, “And Jack? It’s also <em>my</em> job to keep <em>you</em> safe.” Jack instantly opened his mouth to protest, just like Mac thought he would. “No, Jack, we have a deal, you go kaboom, I go kaboom, right? You watch my back, I watch yours.” Mac swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “I know I fucked up things between us, but I’m... I promise you, that hasn’t changed. I’ve got your back, Jack.”</p>
<p>Jack blinked at the ceiling for a moment, and then he pivoted himself a little so he could look at Mac’s face. “What are you talking about? How did you fuck anything up?”</p>
<p>He sounded genuinely confused and somehow that made Mac feel worse. “When I left, and... and went to Nigeria,” he explained, not able to keep the pained note out of his voice. “I should’ve at least told you, or asked if you wanted to come with me. Instead I just... abandoned you, and ignored your messages, and if my dad hadn’t told me what had happened you could’ve died.”</p>
<p>Jack sighed quietly and laid back down, his arm tightening around Mac. “Look, I’m... I’m not gonna lie and say that it didn’t hurt when you left,” he said quietly, and Mac’s heart broke a little. He knew he hurt Jack, and he knew ignoring him must have hurt him too, but he kept doing it anyway. “But you came back. When your old man told you I messed up and got myself in trouble, you dropped everything to come and get me. That’s what matters, Mac.”</p>
<p>Not for the first time Mac found himself thinking that he didn’t deserve to have someone as amazing as Jack in his life. “Yeah, but... I did fuck it up, Jack,” Mac said after a moment, still whispering. “We’re... things are off between us, I know you can feel it. And that’s my fault.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, something <em>is</em> off between us,” Jack agreed. “But I think part of that’s on me, man. I... I was acting like an ass, keeping you at arm’s length because I was stewing about you leaving me behind. And then when the thing with Kovacs happened... I didn’t wanna pretend like everything was okay when it wasn’t, you know?”</p>
<p>Mac nodded against Jack’s shoulder because he understood that, he did... but there was one thing that had been bothering him for months now, and he bit his lower lip before he said, more to the shadows lengthening along the walls than his partner, “You... you didn’t even hug me.” His voice was small and timid, and he <em>knew</em> it was silly, but it still stung. “You shook my hand and told me I was your good friend, and then you were just... gone. Which is more than I gave you when I left, I know, but I... part of me thought maybe that was your way of telling me where we stood.”</p>
<p>Jack made a sound and for a second Mac thought it was because his arm hurt, but then he realized that it was from frustration. And judging by the look on his face, the only person Jack was frustrated with was himself. “Because I thought that was where we stood,” Jack whispered, and Mac’s heart dropped. “I thought you didn’t... need me anymore,” Jack continued, and wait, what? “I figured I pushed it too far—pushed <em>you</em> too far away—and that you wouldn’t... that you wouldn’t appreciate me hugging you or getting emotional over leaving.” Jack’s voice was strained and so full of pain that it tore Mac up inside. “So I did what I thought you wanted, acted like it didn’t bother me that much... when in reality leaving you was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do.”</p>
<p>Mac pushed himself up on his elbow, not to break Jack’s hold on him but to get a better look at his face, to catch his eye. It was almost completely dark but there was enough moonlight filtering in through the curtains that Mac made him out. “Jack, I...” The words stick in his throat and he has to clear it to get them out. “I’m sorry. I never... I always need you. I needed you when I went to Nigeria too, but I didn’t think it was fair to... to ask you to quit your job and leave Riley behind. I realize now I should’ve at least given you the option.” He ran a hand through his hair, trying to organize his thoughts. “And then you put yourself on the line to save Nasha when Murdoc took her, and you seemed so... so distant after that, I thought you were still angry, so I didn’t want to push you into talking about anything because I was afraid you’d... you’d leave because I fucked up.” <em>Just like everyone else did</em>, he added mentally but didn’t say. “And then you did.”</p>
<p>He heard Jack exhale shakily and... there were tears in Jack’s eyes. “Mac, I... I had to go,” he whispered, his voice choked up. “I had to, Kovacs needed to be stopped. But I need you to understand something—me leaving had nothin’ to do with you.” He shifted his grip on Mac a little so that he could place his hand on the back of Mac’s neck. “I didn’t leave because things were off between us, or because I... I didn’t want to work with you anymore, none of that. I left because of Kovacs, and while I admit I didn’t handle it well, you have to know that you weren’t the reason I took that assignment.” Suddenly Mac realized that Jack <em>knew</em> about his abandonment issues, because of course he did. “It wasn’t your fault that I left, Mac. Please tell me you know that.”</p>
<p>Mac looked Jack in the eye, felt the weight of his hand on his neck, and did not think about what it would be like to let that hand weigh him down enough to kiss Jack on the mouth. “I do now,” he whispered, and felt a little spasm go through Jack’s hand at that admission. “You have to admit, from my perspective it didn’t look very good. You... you understand me, Jack, in a way that nobody else ever has, not even Bozer. And losing that felt like... like getting my heart ripped out of my chest.” He glanced away, realized absently that his fingers were worrying at the material of Jack’s t-shirt. “Desi is fantastic, but she’s not you, she was never going to be you, and even though we wound up being friends... I <em>missed</em> you all the time. And now that you’re back, I feel like I’m fucking up all over again.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, Mac, I’m so sorry,” Jack whispered, and Mac shivered when Jack’s thumb started rubbing his skin. “I should’ve... should’ve told you all of that before I left, I just... didn’t think you’d listen.” Jack took a deep breath that hitched a little, and then Mac saw him frown. “Wait, what are you talking about? You’re not fucking it up, you’ve done nothin’ wrong.”</p>
<p>“Then why are we talking about how much time we’ve spent on planes?” Mac asked, hearing a tremor in his voice and hating it. He wasn’t angry, just... sad, and scared. “Or about the fucking weather and baseball, like a couple of awkward neighbors? Why aren’t you making stupid jokes, or calling me a nerd, or... or doing any of the stuff we usually do?” His fingers were hooks in Jack’s t-shirt, pulling without conscious thought. “The most normal I’ve felt since you came back is when we were hobbling away from that plane crash, and that’s... awful.”</p>
<p>“Again, Mac, not your fault,” Jack said quietly, and he sounded... angry, but Mac knew that kind of anger—Jack was angry at himself, not Mac. “This one... that’s all on me, man. You’ve done nothin’ wrong,” Jack repeated, and his hand started stroking Mac’s back, and it didn’t seem like Jack was aware of that. “When I got back I didn’t know what to expect or where we stood. Like I told you, I... I didn’t think you needed me anymore, so I... I wanted to feel you out, you know? And while you seemed happy to see me...” Jack trailed off, swallowing hard. “It was also clear you and Desi work <em>great</em> together. So I stopped making jokes, or tease you... I didn’t want to come between you two. I was trying to decide if I should... maybe ask Matty to reassign me, so that I wouldn’t ruin the team’s balance.” Mac stopped breathing when Jack was about halfway through his speech, and he didn’t think he had a heart anymore since it shattered in a million pieces. “You just... seemed happy with Desi. And I... I don’t know the nature of your relationship, it’s none of my business, but I... I didn’t want to ruin it for you.”</p>
<p>“She and I are friends, Jack,” Mac said, trying and failing to ignore how Jack’s hand was hot like a brand even through the leather jacket and Mac’s shirts. “I mean I’d have to be blind to not know she’s gorgeous, and I like her a lot, but we aren’t... like that.” And then, before he could stop himself, Mac heard more words tumble out of his mouth: “She asked me out a while ago, and I said no.” When Jack raised his eyebrows in a silent question, Mac had to look away again, forcing himself to smooth out the wrinkles in Jack’s shirt. “Told her I had feelings for someone else. She was nice about it, and now I’m pretty sure she and Riley have something going on anyway.”</p>
<p>“Oh.” That monosyllable from Jack was enough to make Mac worried that he revealed too much. “Good... good for them I guess. I’ll have to threaten her a little, but I’m happy for them.” Mac let out a small chuckle at that, but he was still freaking out internally, not having the slightest idea where the conversation would go next. “So you, uhm... you have feelings for someone? Who is she?” Jack asked after a moment, and Mac was so busy cursing himself for letting that slip out that he almost didn’t notice how... strained Jack’s voice sounded.</p>
<p>“It doesn’t matter,” Mac said quietly, his fingers clawing at Jack’s shirt again. And then Mac decided to take another risk—if he was going to rebuild their relationship, honesty was the key. “I’m... <em>he</em> doesn’t feel the same way anyway.”</p>
<p>Jack went extremely still for a split second, and Mac wondered hysterically if his sexuality was going to be a problem—but of course it wasn’t, Jack wasn’t like that, he was just surprised. “Is this guy crazy?” Jack asked incredulously, and his hand started moving again, up and down Mac’s back. “You’re incredible, Mac, anybody would be lucky to have you. Who is this guy? Do I need to have a chat with him?”</p>
<p>Jack’s definition of “having a chat” with somebody usually involved beating them up, and Mac couldn’t help but snort, and he was so tired and strung out and frustrated that he said, “You’d have a hard time beating yourself up.” Then it was his turn to freeze, eyes going wide when he realized what he just did, trying to back away from Jack on the bed. “Oh no, Jack, I’m... I’m so sorry.”</p>
<p>“Mac, wait—” Jack sat up, keeping his arm firmly around Mac.</p>
<p>He kept trying to move away, his heart racing in panic. He fucked up, he <em>really</em> fucked up this time, and he was going to lose Jack because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He managed to slide out from under Jack’s arm, but Jack fingers gripped his wrist instead. Mac barely noticed, though, too focused on getting as far away as possible.</p>
<p>“Mac, for the love of god—stop tryin’ to run, I only have one arm—” Jack gasped as they kept scuffling on the mattress, and eventually Jack managed to get Mac on his back and straddled his hips to keep him from getting away. “Jesus, Mac—” Mac tried to push Jack away, but he was too heavy, and a tiny part of his brain that wasn’t currently panicking was very interested in the fact that Jack managed to overpower him even with one arm broken. “Would you just stop thrashing—for fuck’s sake, Mac, <em>I love you</em>!”</p>
<p>Mac froze, his hands flat on Jack’s chest but no longer trying to push him off. Between the blood rushing in his ears and the raggedness of his breathing he was sure he misheard that, so he asked, his voice tiny and wrecked, “What?”</p>
<p>“I love you,” Jack repeated, less frantic this time, but he sounded... sincere? “Not like a friend, not like a brother—I’m in love with you, Mac. Have been for years now, and that’s part of the reason it hurt so fucking bad when you ran off to Nigeria. I didn’t... I thought you were never gonna feel the same way, but at least I was able to have you close by, you know? And then you took off, and when you came back you were with Nasha, and I just... I handled it badly.”</p>
<p>Mac stared at Jack with wide eyes, even though it was too dark in the cabin for him to really see him. A part of him was sure he had to be dreaming, but the weight of Jack on top of him felt way too real for it to be a dream. His heart pounding, Mac swallowed hard and wriggled a little until Jack was straddling his thighs instead of hips, and then he sat up. It put their faces very close, barely a few inches apart, and even though Mac couldn’t see much, he felt Jack’s breath on his lips.</p>
<p>“I love you too,” he whispered, and before Jack could say anything, Mac leaned in, pressing their lips together. Jack kissed him back, chasing Mac’s lips when Mac pulled back to gasp, because he was sure he was about to wake up. He made a soft noise in the back of his throat as their lips moved slowly together, Jack’s hand coming up to cup his cheek, fingers stroking Mac’s hair behind his ear. They separated after a moment and Mac stared at Jack with wide eyes, bringing up a hand to touch Jack’s stubble with the pads of his fingers. “Is this... is this real? Because I’ve had so many dreams like this, Jack.”</p>
<p>“So have I,” Jack murmured, turning his head to kiss Mac’s fingers. “But it’s real, I promise.” He moved his hand to the back of Mac’s neck and pulled him in another kiss. Mac gripped Jack’s t-shirt tightly, afraid that if he let go Jack would disappear, and he moaned softly when Jack’s tongue licked over his bottom lip. Without hesitation he opened up, letting Jack deepen the kiss, and as Jack’s tongue slipped into his mouth, Mac felt his eyes sting with tears. He tightened his grip on Jack’s shirt and kept kissing him, and he didn’t even realize the tears started running down his cheeks until Jack pulled away, sliding his hand back to Mac’s cheek and wiping them away with his thumb. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong?”</p>
<p>“I never thought this would happen,” Mac admitted, his voice cracking with emotion. “I didn’t even know you weren’t straight, let alone that you were interested in... in <em>me</em>.”</p>
<p>“How could I not be?” Jack murmured, leaning back in to kiss his damp cheek, the corner of his mouth. “You’re gorgeous, and funny, and so damn smart, Mac, you never stop surprising me. It’d take a much stronger man that me to <em>not</em> have fallen in love with you.” He moved his arm low to wrap around Mac’s waist, holding him close. “I don’t know what the hell I did to deserve you loving me back, but the last thing I’m gonna do is take it for granted.”</p>
<p>“You deserve everything, Jack,” Mac said softly, wrapping his arms around Jack, careful not to put any pressure on his broken arm. He buried his face in Jack’s neck, breathing in his comforting smell. “I’m... I’m so sorry, Jack. I should have said that a long time ago. I’m sorry for... for leaving and ignoring you, and... for everything.”</p>
<p>Jack kissed the side of his head, right above his ear, his hand running up Mac’s back to tangle his fingers in his hair, palm resting against the back of his neck. “I’m sorry too, darlin’,” he whispered, and Mac only pressed closer when he heard that endearment. “But I think it’s safe to say at this point that we’ve forgiven each other, yeah?” When Mac nodded against him, Jack chuckled a little. “Okay, good. Because if we hadn’t, it would’ve made the making out we just did pretty awkward.”</p>
<p>Mac couldn’t help but smile against Jack’s neck, and after a moment he pressed a soft kiss to his skin. Then he pulled back and kissed Jack’s cheek, lingering and nuzzling his stubble. “You know, I kinda suck at relationships,” he said quietly before leaning back to look into Jack’s eyes, cupping his face with his hand. “But I... I love you, Jack, so much. I just hope I don’t fuck it up.”</p>
<p>Jack frowned a little, thumb rubbing over the base of Mac’s skull. “Hey, as far as I know, what happened in those relationships wasn’t your fault. And I’m not exactly great at this either, in case you haven’t noticed.” He pressed their foreheads together. “We’ll figure it out, just like we always do. And if we’re honest with each other, instead of dancing around shit like idiots, that’ll be a lot easier.”</p>
<p>“You’re right,” Mac whispered, kissing the corner of Jack’s mouth. They sat in silence for a moment and Mac didn’t know what was going through Jack’s head, but he knew that his own mind was still blown. Suddenly he yawned, reminding him that they were barely awake and about to sleep when they started this conversation, which turned out a bit... long. “We should... get some rest, I think,” Mac muttered, pressing a chaste kiss to Jack’s lips, still not believing he could actually do that.</p>
<p>“I think you’re right,” Jack agreed, and they arranged themselves how they were before, with Jack on his back and Mac pressed into his side, only now they didn’t have to be coy about it. Mac snuggled up as close as he could get to Jack, and Jack wrapped his good arm around him to keep him there. He dropped a kiss on top of Mac’s hair, hand squeezing his arm. “I love you, Mac.”</p>
<p>“I love you too,” Mac mumbled, yawning again. He got his arm around Jack’s middle and tangled their legs together, and then he fell asleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>As usual, thank you guys for all the love on the first chapter! In this second one Mac and Jack get to mess around a little... and then they get taken hostage. No big deal!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jack blinked a few times, not sure what woke him up. It was still dark outside, so it wasn’t the light, and while his arm hurt, it wasn’t bad enough for him to stir—he’d slept through worse injuries, so that wasn’t it. It took his half-asleep brain a few seconds to notice that... he was shaking? No, it was <em>Mac</em> who was trembling, pressed against his side. At first Jack thought Mac was cold but then he whimpered, his hand gripping his t-shirt tightly, and he pressed his face into Jack’s chest, making another scared sound.</p><p>“No, no, please,” Mac whimpered, and Jack realized he was having a nightmare. “No, please, don’t—no, <em>Charlie</em>.”</p><p>Jack shut his eyes for a moment, because there was only one thing Mac could’ve been dreaming about: watching Charlie fall to his death in the elevator. Riley had filled Jack in on that one almost as soon as he got back, because he’d noticed the tension between Mac and his old man right away and didn’t think it was the same one that was present when he left. He’d felt terrible when he heard, because he’d liked Charlie even though he hadn’t spent much time with him, and he and Mac had been close.</p><p>“Mac, hey, can you wake up for me?” Jack asked, right near his ear, squeezing him lightly with his arm, then stroking his hand up and down Mac’s side. “You’re having a bad dream, baby, you need to wake up.”</p><p>Mac woke up with a loud gasp, his entire body jolting as he sat up, his hands flailing. Accidentally he hit Jack’s broken arm and Jack had to stifle a whimper, pain coursing through him, and Mac immediately turned to face him. “Oh god, Jack, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he whispered, although it sounded more like a muffled sob. “I didn’t mean—I’m so sorry.”</p><p>“It’s okay,” Jack assured, blinking the tears that welled in his eyes away, and he sat up too. He leaned back against the wall and used his good arm to pull Mac with him—he was a little surprised when that resulted in Mac climbing into his lap to hug him, but he wasn’t about to complain. Mac looped both arms around Jack’s neck before he pressed his face into his shoulder again, and Jack felt his tears through his shirt. He rubbed Mac’s back with his hand, leather dragging under his palm. “It’s okay, darlin’, just breathe.”</p><p>Mac exhaled shakily as he tried to control his breathing, and Jack patiently waited for him to calm down. “I... I couldn’t save him. Charlie,” Mac said quietly, his voice muffled, but Jack heard him just fine. He was surprised by Mac willingly bringing the nightmare up, but again, he wasn’t about to complain. “That’s what the nightmare was about, I... I was in that building again, with Charlie locked up in the elevator. And as always, I couldn’t save him.”</p><p>“I’m so sorry, Mac,” Jack murmured, nuzzling Mac’s temple before pressing his lips to that spot. “Charlie was a good dude, and I know you did everything you could to try and help him.”</p><p>“Yeah, but it wasn’t enough,” Mac said, a shaky sigh escaping his body, and he squeezed Jack tighter, like he was afraid he was going to disappear. “Sometimes when I have that dream it’s not Charlie, though. Sometimes... it’s you.”</p><p>Jack closed his eyes for a moment, because he knew how awful those dreams had to be. Almost every nightmare he had these days was about Mac dying, so he knew how real they could get. “We’ll get the guy who did this, Mac, I promise,” Jack whispered, holding Mac as tightly as he could with just one arm. “And I’m gonna make him regret ever deciding hurting you was a good idea.”</p><p>Mac was quiet for a moment, shifting a little so he could press his face into Jack’s neck instead of his shirt. He seemed to have some kind of fixation with that spot, but Jack wasn’t going to call him out on it right now. “I was so angry with my dad when I found out what he did,” Mac said, sniffling a little. “That he sacrificed all those people to save me, that that was why Mason’s son died and why Charlie did too. But then I thought... then I thought about what I’d be willing to do if you were the one in danger, or Bozer or Riley... and I couldn’t stay mad at him, because as much as I hate it, I understand.”</p><p>Jack swallowed hard, because he understood too. If Mac was in danger, or Riley... there was nothing Jack wouldn’t do to save them, so he knew exactly why James made that kind of call. “Mac, listen to me,” he started quietly, because he needed to make one thing clear. “If anything ever happens to me... and you’re faced with an impossible choice... I need you to make the choice you can live with. Not one you think I’d want you to make, or anyone else.” Jack meant every word of that—if Mac had to choose between Jack and saving more people, Jack didn’t want Mac to make a choice that would make him feel guilty for the rest of his life. “I’d understand.”</p><p>Mac pulled back enough to look at him, his blue eyes dark sapphires in the shadows of the cabin. “I could never live with losing you,” was his response, simple and blunt. “I wouldn’t care what the cost was... you dying would ruin me.”</p><p>He touched Jack’s jaw almost reverently, and Jack had to lean in to kiss him. “How’d I get so lucky, huh?” he whispered against Mac’s mouth, and then he didn’t say anything more because he was too busy learning how Mac tasted.</p><p>“Mhm, I think I’m the lucky one,” Mac muttered before sliding his tongue into Jack’s mouth again, making a tiny noise in the back of his throat. His hands came up to frame Jack’s face, and the kiss grew more heated after a moment, Jack groaning when Mac nipped on his lower lip. Then he broke the kiss, mouthing at Jack’s jaw before sliding lower and nipping at his neck, sending shivers down Jack’s spine.</p><p>“Oh baby, you’re killin’ me,” Jack gasped when Mac bit him a little harder and started sucking a bruise into his skin.</p><p>“Yeah? Good to know.” Mac’s voice was playful and teasing in a way that Jack... wasn’t expecting, if he was being honest.</p><p>He figured Mac would take foreplay just as seriously as everything else, but no, turned out he was funny. His hands slid down over Jack’s chest and around his body to his back, one rucking up his t-shirt to get at his skin. The other one slid lower, long fingers working their way under the waistband of Jack’s jeans, groping at his ass as Mac’s lips moved to the other side of his neck.</p><p>“Oh fuck,” Jack breathed out, groaning when Mac’s fingers squeeze his ass cheek playfully, his teeth grazing the skin of Jack’s throat. Jack knew there was no way he was going to get through his jacket and all the layers Mac wore with just one arm available, so instead he settled on groping Mac’s ass through his jeans, smiling a little when Mac moaned against his skin. The smile quickly faded away from his face when Mac scratched his back with his nails... and rolled his hips down a little. And as much as Jack would’ve liked nothing more than to get off in his jeans like a horny teenager, it wasn’t really practical—they needed as many clean clothing items as they could get, since they didn’t know how long it would be before help arrived. “Hey, Mac, maybe—”</p><p>“Yeah, hang on,” Mac said, and he pulled away a little, bringing his hands around to undo Jack’s jeans and helping him pull them down along with his underwear.</p><p>The t-shirt kind of had to stay on thanks to the sling, but Jack figured he’d just yank it up out of the way... and then Jack didn’t figure anything, because Mac was stripping for him. It wasn’t intentionally sexy, but just... the idea of Mac taking off his clothes and kicking them away so they could do this broke Jack’s brain a little. As soon as Mac had his jeans and underwear off along with slipping out of Jack’s jacket, Jack yanked him in for a filthy kiss by the front of his shirt.</p><p>He grinned against his mouth when that single, slightly dominate action made Mac shudder against his body. Jack wrapped his arm around Mac again, his hand sliding lower to squeeze Mac’s ass, hard. Mac groaned into Jack’s mouth and his one arm circled Jack’s neck, pulling him close while Mac’s other hand slid down Jack’s chest... until he wrapped his fingers around Jack’s cock, giving him a firm stroke. Jack threw his head back with a loud moan, and Mac immediately attached his lips to his throat, biting him even harder than before.</p><p>“Oh fuck, you’re <em>big</em>,” Mac groaned against his skin, and Jack’s brain basically melted when he heard what Mac said next: “You’d feel so good inside me.”</p><p>“Jesus Christ, Mac,” Jack said hoarsely, and he let his fingers slip into Mac’s ass crack, pressing dry digits against Mac’s hole, moaning when it twitched in response to his touch. “I bet you’d feel so hot and tight around me, wouldn’t you? And you’d be so good for me.”</p><p>Mac whined against his skin and stroked Jack’s cock a little faster, a little rougher, thumb gliding over the head. His tongue licked a stripe up Jack’s neck, nipping at his jaw before he reached Jack’s ear and whispered, “You can fuck my throat, if you want to.”</p><p>Jack had no idea how, but he managed not to come on the spot because of that. “Fuck, baby, please,” he groaned, fingers digging into Mac’s ass, and he whined quietly when Mac removed his fingers from around his cock.</p><p>He kissed his way back to Jack’s mouth, nipping teasingly on his lower lip before flashing him an alluring smile that was very similar to that wicked smile when he was about to blow something up. “I thought you might say yes.”</p><p>Jack actually felt his mouth drop open a little. “How in the fuck could I say no?” he asked, his voice cracking, and he couldn’t help but smile when Mac laughed.</p><p>He gave Jack another kiss on the mouth before he slid down his body, shouldering his way between Jack’s legs, fingers curling around the base of Jack’s cock to steady it while he licked over the head. He suckled on it, lapping up Jack’s precome and staring up at him with those beautiful eyes. His lips turned into a perfect O as he took more of the shaft into his mouth, bracing his weight on his forearm.</p><p>Eventually he removed his fingers and took all of Jack’s cock in, the head hitting the back of his throat. Jack’s hand wandered into his hair, his grip tightening when Mac swallowed around him, and then Mac glanced up at him, arching his eyebrow expectantly. Exhaling shakily, Jack removed his hand from Mac’s hair and placed it on the mattress to have some leverage... and gently he thrusted up into Mac’s throat, groaning loudly when Mac hummed around his cock, bracing himself on his forearms and just waiting for Jack to move more.</p><p>“Oh God, oh fuck,” Jack panted, and he thrusted up again, still careful, but once he found a rhythm he just... kept going. Mac made these little sounds each time Jack’s cock hit the back of his throat, eyelashes fluttering like he couldn’t get enough of how it felt. He breathed in and out through his nose and let Jack use him like a cocksleeve, fucking into that tight wet warmth. “Mac, baby, oh, you’re incredible. This is so good, you’re so good for me.”</p><p>Mac moaned around his cock, his throat vibrating, and Jack was starting to lose control. The next few thrusts were a bit harder, but Mac didn’t pull back, taking it without protest, and Jack wasn’t going to last for much longer. “Baby, fuck, I’m—I’m gonna—” Jack gasped, hand clawing at the mattress as his hips moved rapidly, thrusting up into Mac’s throat.</p><p>Mac didn’t budge, if anything he pressed himself closer and looked up, holding Jack’s gaze, and Jack lost it. He thrusted up roughly a few more times and then he was coming, moaning Mac’s name as he filled up Mac’s mouth, Mac swallowing everything and working him through the orgasm with his tongue. After a moment he released Jack’s soft cock from his mouth, and Jack almost passed out when he sees his come drip down Mac’s chin. Mac licked his lips and thumbed the stray come off his own chin, sucking it into his mouth to clean it off.</p><p>Jack cursed and scrabbles at Mac’s shoulder with his good hand, tugging him up to sit in Jack’s lap, groaning when his cock gave a twitch of interest when it slid between Mac’s ass cheeks. “C’mere, baby,” Jack muttered, pulling Mac in for a kiss and moaning at the taste of himself on Mac’s tongue. He wrapped his calloused fingers around Mac’s length and gave him a firm stroke, twisting his wrist at the end before repeating the process. “I wanna see you come, darlin’.”</p><p>“Jack, oh god,” Mac moaned, and Jack was sure his name never sounded so good. Mac’s hands gripped his shoulders, and his hips twitch as he started thrusting into Jack’s hand. Jack was mesmerized by the smooth movement of Mac’s hips and when he glanced up, he felt like his breath got knocked out of him. Mac’s lips were parted as he kept moaning and gasping, and his blue eyes, darker than usual, were fixed on Jack’s face, and Jack had never seen anything so beautiful in his entire life.</p><p>“That’s right, baby, let me watch you,” Jack groaned, stroking Mac a little faster. “You’re so gorgeous, baby, so fucking stunning, putting on a show for me like that.”</p><p>Mac bit his lower lip and his hips kept working, thrusting his cock through Jack’s fist like it was what he was made to do. “Mhmm, oh, Jack, <em>Jack</em>, I’m gonna—”</p><p>Jack squeezed him and managed another few strokes before Mac came, his whole body shuddering, a long, drawn-out moan leaving his throat as he rode out his orgasm, grinding himself into Jack’s hand. Once his hips stilled, Jack let go of his cock and Mac collapsed against him, hiding his face in Jack’s neck. He leaned more on Jack’s right side to avoid crushing his broken arm, and that made Jack’s heart stutter. He wiped his hand on one of the blankets and then wrapped his arm around Mac’s waist, pulling him closer.</p><p>“I love you so much, darlin’.” Jack nuzzled Mac’s temple before kissing his hair. “Are you okay?”</p><p>Mac nodded against his neck. “Are you kidding? I’m amazing,” he said, kissing one of the bruises he left behind on Jack’s throat. “And I love you too.” He pulled back to look at Jack, hands on his shoulders and a little worry in his eyes. “Are <em>you</em> okay? I didn’t hurt your arm, right?”</p><p>Mac’s voice was hoarse from Jack fucking his throat, and it was so distracting that Jack barely registered the fact that Mac asked him a question. “I’m fine, baby, I’m fantastic,” Jack said, smiling and leaning in to kiss Mac’s lips. “My brain’s still kinda offline, though, I think you may have broken it.” Mac looked incredibly smug at that idea, which just made Jack snort out a laugh and kiss him again. The first golden rays of sunrise started to lighten up the cabin, casting a halo through Mac’s hair and making his skin almost luminous. “Fuck, you’re beautiful,” Jack murmured, stroking the backs of his fingers over Mac’s cheek. “You know part of me doesn’t even care that my arm’s broken and we’re stuck here? Long as I’m with you, it’s like none of that shit matters.”</p><p>“Same, although I wish we didn’t have to worry about someone trying to kill us while we’re here,” Mac muttered, turning his head to kiss Jack’s fingers, nipping at them teasingly, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Jack chuckled a little, reaching to brush the hair out of Mac’s eyes, and god, he was so in love with him it was ridiculous. “Do you wanna go back to sleep?” Mac asked, wrapping his arms around Jack’s neck and nuzzling his cheek. “It’s still early and I don’t think you got much rest because of me.”</p><p>“Nah, I’m fine,” Jack said, and it wasn’t far from the truth. He didn’t feel tired, and while his arm hurt, it was more of a dull, throbbing ache than the fiery pain it was yesterday. “I’m thinking maybe we watch the sun come up, then see what the food situation is?”</p><p>“Okay,” Mac murmured near his ear, and Jack pulled the blankets up over them both to preserve some warmth.</p><p>It was early fall, the leaves just starting to change colors, but being in the wilderness meant it didn’t get warm until the sun rose beyond the treetops. It was a beautiful sunrise, golden with streaks of red, and Jack breathed in Mac’s smell—sunshine and ozone and something unique to him—and reveled in the fact that he got to have this, that Mac wanted him that way. Mac snuggled closer to him, nose pressed into his neck, and Jack... Jack’s mind was blown. He didn’t like touching people like that, he valued his personal space and in that department he was the complete opposite of Jack, who touched people all the time. High fives, pats on the shoulders, hugs—Jack did it all, but Mac didn’t, so for him to just... cuddle up to Jack like that, it was... special. Tightening his arm around Mac, Jack pressed another kiss to his hair, smiling when Mac let out a small pleased sigh.</p><p>They sat there for a while, long enough that Jack almost felt like he was going to fall asleep again—but then both their stomachs growl.</p><p>“Wow, that was practically in unison,” Mac commented, which made Jack giggle like an idiot. They both pulled on their underwear and jeans before scrounging around looking for eats. Jack hit the jackpot (ha) when he opened a cabinet and found stacks of canned fruit. “Nice,” Mac said, pressing up against his side, and they sat back down on the bed. They each limited themselves to one—both of them were smart enough to know rationing was important when their little vacation didn’t have an end date. When they were done Mac licked peach juice off his fingers and drove Jack absolutely insane, then said, “We should explore around a little. I want to know if whoever shot down our plane is close by.”</p><p>“Huh?” Jack was too busy staring at Mac’s fingers and when his eyes snapped up to Mac’s, he was watching him with an amused expression on his face. “Yeah, you have a point,” Jack agreed once his brain registered what Mac said. “Even though I’m not looking forward to going out there and playing bait.” Leaning in, he gave Mac a short kiss before grabbing and checking his gun. “Lead the way, darlin’.”</p><p>Jack spun his gun on his index finger as he stuck it in the holster at the small of his back, and he glanced over to see Mac’s eyes on him in much the way Jack was just watching Mac lick his fingers. “That’s one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen,” Mac told him, and... what? “You showing off with your gun like that. It drives me crazy.”</p><p>They took their first cautious steps outside, morning dew clinging to the groundcover. There was a family of deer on the opposite bank of the river, and the world around them was quiet and calm. “Huh,” Jack said, thinking it was kind of amazing how something he did absently could be attractive to someone else. “I thought you were staring every time I did that because you were getting ready to give me a lecture on gun safety.”</p><p>“If you called me out on it, that’s probably what I would have said,” Mac admitted with a grin. “But no, that’s definitely not why I was staring.” Jack didn’t say anything, only grinned in response, already planning how he was going to use that to his advantage. “Actually,” Mac started after a minute, and when Jack glanced at him Mac was... blushing? “You with any kind of weapon is... well, it kinda does things to me,” he said quietly, not looking at Jack. “Especially you with the sniper rifle.”</p><p>“But you don’t like guns,” was what falls out of Jack’s mouth, and he wanted to smack himself. Way to sound like a jackass (ha ha) when Mac was trying to compliment him.</p><p>Thankfully Mac didn’t look offended, only maybe a little embarrassed. “No... but I like competence,” he said, and reached out to squeeze Jack’s hand briefly. “And I like you.”</p><p>They were following a deer path, Jack noted absently, and he was glad that Mac was paying attention to where they were going or he would’ve walked into a tree by now. A squirrel darted in front of them, and Jack’s ears picked up birds rustling somewhere overhead, but other than that it was surprisingly peaceful. Mac seemed to be moving with purpose, so Jack made an educated guess: “You did the math and figured out the trajectory of the missile?”</p><p>“It wasn’t hard,” Mac replied, shrugging a little. “We were traveling southwest at time of impact, and the missile hit the front of the right wing, which means it was most likely traveling northeast to meet us, so it came from somewhere in this direction.”</p><p>“Have I ever told you how much I love when you start talking nerdy to me?” Jack grinned when Mac ducked his head, a pretty blush coloring his cheeks. Jack wrapped his arm around Mac’s waist to pull him closer and kiss his cheek. “You’re not the only one that likes competence, baby.”</p><p>Mac smiled at him, the sunny smile with the dimples that Jack always fantasized was just for him... and apparently it was. He glanced down and away from Jack, probably to check their path, and put a hand on Jack’s chest to get him to stop. He dropped into a crouch to inspect something and Jack did too, and that was when Jack saw it: the outline of a boot print embedded in the dirt. It was going horizontally across the deer path, which meant whoever left it crossed the path and continued into the woods. That meant they didn’t travel in the direction of the cabin, which was good.</p><p>“This looks pretty fresh,” Mac said, keeping his voice low. “Somebody was out here early this morning—maybe some kind of patrol?” He glanced to either side of the path. “Question is, were they walking to or from their base?”</p><p>“It’s early enough that they could have been walking from their base,” Jack said, thinking out loud. “And there’s a chance they’ll be coming back soon after they’re done with the patrol unless they’ll choose a different route.” Jack glanced around, searching for any other signs of anyone being there recently. “And other question is... do we want to try and find that base? That could be walking into the lion’s den.”</p><p>“It could be,” Mac agreed, running a hand through his hair. Jack never noticed exactly how many shades of blond were in it until now, and wow, he really was lovesick if he was musing on individual strands of hair. “It could also be a way for us to communicate with the Phoenix. Depending on when the black box on the plane failed, they may not have an exact fix on our location. If we can get our hands on a phone or a vehicle, that could be our ticket out of here.” He glanced at Jack, a wry smile on his face. “Besides, you have thirty-four bullets—what are the odds there’s thirty-four people?”</p><p>Jack wasn’t surprised Mac knew exactly how many bullets he has left, but he was... touched by the absolute faith Mac has in him. “You’re assuming I can take out one dude with one bullet,” Jack pointed out, but when Mac started walking in what they thought was the direction of the base, he followed right away.</p><p>“We both know you can do that,” Mac replied, keeping his voice quiet, and there it was again, that absolute faith in Jack’s abilities.</p><p>“Yeah, but...” Jack trailed off when Mac looked at him, whatever counterargument he was going to mount lost in the blue of Mac’s eyes. “Damn, you’re distracting.”</p><p>Mac smiled again, quick but bright, and they walked in silence for a while, neither of them making a sound—Jack because of his Delta training, and Mac because of the time spent in the woods with his grandfather. The smell of smoke hit them both around the same time, but it wasn’t from the crash site; this was smoke from a wood-burning fire. They both stooped down to stay under the cover of the brush, and wound up hiding behind some holly bushes as they came upon a clearing.</p><p>Several trailers were lined up in a semi-circle, and the one furthest from them was also closest to what looked like some kind of road, one that was wide enough for a vehicle. There were no cars or anything at the moment, but a couple of guys in camouflage gear stood near a stove mounted over a campfire, warming their hands. They hade AR-15s strapped to their shoulders, and Jack felt Mac tense next to him—not because of the guns, but because of a flash of red, white, and black hanging from the end of one of the trailers.</p><p>Jack saw the swastika around the same time Mac cursed under his breath and muttered, “Why’d it have to be Nazis?”</p><p>“I feel like I’m in an Indiana Jones movie,” Jack grumbled, his eyes scanning the compound. “But punching these guys will be very satisfying, I’ll tell you that.”</p><p>“Sorry to burst your bubble, babe, but you won’t be doing any punching with that arm,” Mac pointed out without looking at him, and... fuck, he was right.</p><p>Jack kind of forgot about his broken arm for a moment, and that made things a bit more difficult. He glanced back at Mac who had this... look on his face, and Jack basically heard the gears turning in his head. “Okay, hoss, I know that look—what’s the plan? I don’t see any vehicles, so I’m assuming you want to get your hands on a phone.”</p><p>“That would be ideal, but we’ll have to be quick about it,” Mac said, and they were close enough together that when Mac turned his head to look at the road his breath ghosted Jack’s cheek. “Who knows when the rest of them will—”</p><p>The roar of diesel engines cut through the peace of the woods, and four large dually-wheeled trucks came rumbling into the compound. The truck beds were full of men and women who mostly looked a lot like Mac—blond haired and blue eyed, with fair skin—and they were all armed with something, from handguns to one guy who had an axe across his back. They started unloading supplies, and some of them took up guard positions around the perimeter—luckily none of them were close to where they were hiding.</p><p>“Fantastic,” Mac muttered dryly. “Well, there’s only twenty of them. We’re doing good on the bullet count.” He craned his neck a little to see what they were putting away. “Looks like a lot of that stuff goes in a freezer—the nearest town can’t be far if it’s not melted. If I had something to make a distraction, we could steal a truck and get the hell out of here.”</p><p>“Only twenty of them, which means they know each other, so no way for you to stride in there and try to blend in, pretending to be one of them,” Jack said, glaring at the Nazis. “Not that I’d let you do something so stupid.” He kept looking around, searching for something that could help them. “Hey, are those gas tanks?” He pointed at a far corner of the compound. “I can make them go kaboom, but that’ll give our position away.”</p><p>Mac tilted his head to one side, then nodded. “That’ll work, but we should probably go back to the cabin first and get your—” He got cut off again, but not by an engine.</p><p>Jack sensed it too late, was already turning with his gun half-drawn, but the Nazi returning from his patrol had already clubbed Mac in the back of the head with the butt of his assault rifle and was now grinning down at Jack with yellowed teeth. “Nighty night,” he taunted.</p><p>Then the butt of the rifle connected with Jack’s temple in a burst of pain, and all he knew was darkness.</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>We've reached the end of the plane crash/Nazi hell ride! Thank you all for the sweet comments and encouragement, it means the world to us! We'll be back with more fic soon!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Groaning, Mac opened his eyes, wincing at the throbbing pain in the back of his head. Judging by his surroundings he was inside one of the trailers they saw earlier, but what was worrying was that he couldn’t see Jack anywhere. He sat in a chair with his hands tied behind his back so tightly that after some twisting and struggling Mac knew it wouldn’t be easy to get free. He was studying the inside of the trailer when suddenly the door opened, and a man and a woman walked inside, smirking at Mac.</p><p>It was the man who spoke first: “Hello, sleeping beauty.” His blond hair was buzzed down in a high and tight, a large “SS” with a lightning bolt tattooed on the side of his neck. He looked Mac up and down before he elbowed the woman. “See, Erin? I told you he’d be perfect.”</p><p>The woman’s hair was yanked back in a severe ponytail and she had a tiny swastika tattooed on the inside of her left wrist. She made a considering noise and walked a slow circle around Mac, her heavy boots making the rusty floor of the trailer groan. “Mhmm, he’s certainly in better shape than his friend.” She grabbed Mac’s jaw and dug her nails into his skin, tilting his head this way and that. “Pretty eyes, though. Somebody will pay big time for those.”</p><p>Mac yanked his jaw out of her grip, glaring at both of them. It sounded like they were holding Jack somewhere else, but hopefully they didn’t do anything to hurt him more. “Human trafficking? I see Nazis will do anything these days,” he growled, tugging on the restraints again.</p><p>The woman looked like she wanted to hit him, but the man grabbed her arm. “Easy, we don’t wanna bruise him.”</p><p>“Cute,” Mac scoffed, rolling his eyes a little. “You’re making a big mistake here.” He was aware he sounded like Jack, but he didn’t care. His head hurt, he was tired, and these bastards shot down their plane, so he was allowed to be pissed off.</p><p>“You’re the ones who made the mistake, flying so low over our airspace,” the man told him, not letting go of the woman’s arm—from the scars on her knuckles she probably liked hitting things. “And it <em>is</em> human trafficking, but not the depraved kind you’re used to seeing on the news.”</p><p>“Oh, so there’s a better way for people to be sold into slavery against their will?” Mac snarked, and this time the woman hit him with her other hand. It was just a slap across the face, but it stung enough made sparks flare behind his eyes.</p><p>The man smiled like Mac was some kind of amusing insect. “It’s different because you’ll be furthering the Aryan race. Think of it like a... selective breeding program.” He backed toward the door, still grinning and dragging the woman with him. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we need to go deal with your friend.”</p><p>Right before he left Mac saw him pull a revolver out of the back of his belt, and that had him struggling again—he needed to get to Jack before it was too late. The ropes around his wrists didn’t budge, and Mac swore quietly under his breath. There was nothing around he could reach that could help him get away, so he kept struggling, not caring that he was probably making himself bleed with how the ropes were cutting into his skin. Eventually he realized it wouldn’t work, but he had another idea—it wouldn’t be pleasant, but it would get him free. With one swift move he toppled the chair back and landed on his back with a loud thud, and the impact was enough to break the old, wooden chair against the floor. Quickly, he scrambled on to his feet, and listened closely, but it didn’t seem anyone heard him destroy the chair.</p><p>Mac headed to the door, about to get outside when he suddenly heard a sound that made his blood freeze in his veins—a single gunshot. He moved on instinct, bursting through the door and hiding behind the trailer just as all hell broke loose around him. Gunfire erupted from everywhere, the Nazis shooting at something Mac couldn’t see from where he was, but it appeared to be in the direction of the road. He didn’t give a shit about any of that, didn’t care if it was rescue for them or something worse—he needed to get to Jack, <em>right now</em>, needed to know if... he just needed to find him.</p><p>Mac started yanking open trailer doors and not finding anything before he realized if they were planning on executing Jack they wouldn’t do it inside—too messy. He turned in a full circle before his eyes caught on a familiar scrap of cloth, stuck on a thorny bush: a piece of the old curtains he used to make Jack’s sling, but Jack was nowhere to be seen. His heart pounding, Mac forced himself to breathe, refusing to believe that he could be too late, that the gunshot he heard could have been... no. He raced over and dove between the bushes, looking around, searching and growing more panicked with each passing minute.</p><p>“Not so fast, pretty boy,” a voice sounded behind him, and when Mac turned around he saw the man from before aiming his gun at him. “You’d be perfect for fathering many children, but we can’t risk you running away and babbling.”</p><p>Mac was frozen, not moving even when it was clear the guy was about to pull the trigger, but... without Jack nothing mattered anyway. Suddenly, two gunshots sounded nearby and Mac flinched, half expecting to collapse on the ground... but instead the Nazi guy slumped down, one bullet hole in his forehead, the other in his heart. Mac spun around, his eyes wide, and there was Jack, clutching his broken arm to his chest, still aiming his gun at the dead guy with a murderous look on his face.</p><p>Mac let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and scrambled over to Jack, throwing his bloody arms around his neck, careful not to jostle his broken arm. “I thought you were dead,” he said, his voice cracking.</p><p>Jack wrapped his arm around Mac in return, squeezing him hard, the gun winding up resting against his shoulder. He felt Jack’s lips ghost his ear, then his cheek. “You okay, darlin’? Did they hurt you?”</p><p>Mac shook his head, nose pressed against Jack’s neck as he breathed in his familiar smell, trying to calm his racing heart. “I’m fine, Jack,” he whispered, and after a moment he pulled back, framing Jack’s face with his hands and ignoring the sounds of gunfire echoing in the distance. “What... what happened? They told me they’d... they’d get rid of you, and then there was a gunshot, and I... I thought...”</p><p>“That was a sniper,” Jack said, glancing over Mac’s shoulder briefly to scan for threats before he looked him in the eyes again. “Took out the chick who was about to blow my head off, and sent that guy I just shot running for the hills until he saw you. Pretty sure it’s the Phoenix tac team they’re up against right now.” Jack winced a little, and Mac belatedly remembered he was holding the sling, so he fitted it around Jack’s arm again. “Let’s see if we can work our way around to the other side of the fight, yeah?” He smiled a little when Mac hooked two fingers through his belt loop on his bad side, so he could stay close without getting in Jack’s line of fire. “Maybe without getting shot.”</p><p>“If you get shot, I’m gonna kill you,” Mac warned, and Jack just grinned at him as they started moving, keeping their heads down. “Hey, what happened to taking them out with one bullet?”</p><p>Jack’s reply was simple: “He was going to hurt <em>you</em>. Wanted to make sure he stayed down.”</p><p>Mac knew it was weird, but that made his heart flutter and something warm spread through his chest, and he couldn’t help but smile a little. Together they tried to get to the road since it sounded like the Phoenix team was somewhere over there, and they ran into a few Nazis on their way, but Jack took them out easily... one bullet per one person. They ducked behind one of the trailers to avoid getting shot at, and then they saw a few familiar faces—the guys from the Phoenix—taking cover behind the trees and their cars, killing off the Nazis one by one.</p><p>And there were two voices barking orders over the din of gunfire—Desi and James, both in body armor and firing at the Nazis from behind an SUV. Mac picked up a rock and tossed it at one of the tires, and that dull thud was enough to get his dad to look in their direction. His eyes got huge and he elbowed Desi, and together they ran over to where Mac and Jack were crouched behind the trailer.</p><p>“Angus, Jack—are you guys okay?” James asked, putting a hand on Mac’s shoulder and squeezing maybe a little too hard, worry on his face.</p><p>“Jack’s arm is broken and my head feels like a crushed watermelon, but other than that we’re fine,” Mac replied, seeing Jack nod his agreement out of the corner of his eye. “Great timing, by the way.”</p><p>“You can thank Riley for that,” Desi told them, leaning out to take two shots and down a Nazi that was trying to sneak up on them. “She was watching your flight path when the plane went down and worked all night to get a location.”</p><p>“That’s my girl,” Jack said with a grin, and Mac smiled as well. There weren’t many Nazis left and it didn’t take long to take the rest of them out, and soon enough the fight was over. “Hey, Dez, who did you have on the sniper duty, Ford?” When Desi nodded, Jack smiled again. “I’ll have to buy him a beer, he saved my ass at the very last second.”</p><p>Mac made a mental note to buy Ford another beer for that—hell, he’d gladly buy a whole round for everyone involved in their rescue. As they made their way to the SUVs Mac didn’t reach for Jack again, not sure if he wanted to reveal the change in their relationship to others right away. “Come on, you need to get your arm looked at.”</p><p>Jack rolled his eyes. “Hoss, come on, you had your chance to play nurse, gimme a break.”</p><p>“You two seem... better,” James suddenly said, and when Mac looked at him his dad was watching them with a curious expression on his face. “More like you used to be.” And that meant the rift in their relationship was visible to everyone around them.</p><p>Desi punched Mac in the shoulder, a huge grin spreading on her face. “You finally grew a set and told him!” Mac felt his face flame red and she cackled. “Oh come on Mac, there was really only one possibility when you told me you had feelings for somebody else. Besides, there’s been a betting pool at the Phoenix about you two since way before I started working here.”</p><p>James nodded, then winced a little. “God, Matty’s gonna be pissed that she lost out to Bozer,” he remarked, and... seemed completely fine with the idea of Mac and Jack being more than partners. He caught the open-mouthed expression of shock on Mac’s face and rolled his eyes. “Come on, son. I know I’m not always perceptive when it comes to you, but you stare at Jack like he hung the damn moon whenever you think he’s not looking. I’m just glad you two worked things out.”</p><p>Mac was speechless, and then he heard a muffled chuckling next to him. When he turned his head, he saw Jack grinning and trying not to laugh, but failing miserably, and Mac just glared at him.</p><p>“I’m sorry, baby, but that’s cute,” Jack said, his voice full of mirth.</p><p>“Oh, like you’re any better?” James asked before Mac could say anything, his eyebrow arched. “You think we haven’t noticed you staring at my son’s ass whenever he bends down?”</p><p>That shut Jack up and his eyes widened, cheeks coloring red. This time it was Mac’s turn to snicker as James looked Jack dead in the eye, the expression on his face completely neutral.</p><p>Jack cleared his throat after a beat. “I guess I, uh, thought I was being subtler than that?”</p><p>James continued to stare at him for a moment before raising his other eyebrow and shaking his head in the slowest back-and-forth “no” Mac had ever seen.</p><p> </p><p>~***~</p><p> </p><p>They all piled into the SUV and a half-hour of driving dumped them in a town that was thankfully big enough to have a hospital. Mac and Jack had to separate for a little bit, because Mac needed his head checked out and Jack had to have his arm set and casted. James stayed with Mac and Desi went with Jack—Mac was done first, diagnosed with a grade two concussion but thankfully not in need of stitches or anything on his head. When he and James walked into Jack’s triage room he was in the middle of getting his arm casted, snickering at some story Desi was telling him.</p><p>Mac held an ice pack to the back of his own head and nodded toward the drawer of casting material, which the doctor had opened to let Jack pick his color. “What color are you getting? Not neon green again, that was obnoxious.”</p><p>“Hey, the neon green one was cool!” Jack said with a grin. “But nah, just good ol’ blue this time.”</p><p>Mac sat with Jack while the doctor worked and he didn’t say much, mostly letting Desi and Jack do the talking, listening to them bicker a little. As much as he appreciated the rescue, he couldn’t wait to be alone with Jack again. That short moment when he thought he had lost him rattled him a lot more than he let on, and he just... he needed to be close to Jack, just curl up against him and feel him right there next to him. Too lost in his thoughts, he almost missed the doctor finishing up, and then they were allowed to go home.</p><p>“Alright, guys, the Phoenix jet is all ready and waiting to take us back to LA,” James said, standing up and stretching his arms above his head, but what he said made Mac pause... because he wasn’t looking forward to getting on a plane after being in a plane crash a day before. From the way Jack tensed he had a similar issue with their mode of transportation. “What’s wrong, guys?” James asked, and it hit him a second later because he said, “Oh. Well, shit.”</p><p>“I’d suggest a cross-country road trip, but I’m pretty sure we’d kill each other,” Desi mused, putting her hands on her hips. “You think you guys can tough it out?”</p><p>“We’re going to have to, I guess,” Mac said... and since they already knew, he didn’t have a problem reaching for Jack’s good hand and lacing their fingers together, smiling a little when Jack squeezed it in an attempt to be reassuring. “If we get shot down again, Dad, I blame you.”</p><p>James nodded. “Fair enough.”</p><p>Since there was no point in delaying the inevitable, they got going. The ride to the airport didn’t take long and before Mac knew it they were boarding the plane. He suppressed the shiver as he takes a seat, smiling a little when Jack sat down next to him, immediately grabbing his hand and squeezing it. Everyone was on the plane—the two of them, Desi, his dad, and the tac team—so it was pretty crowded, but Mac barely noticed. When the plane started moving and then took off, Mac gripped Jack’s hand so tightly he was worried he’d going to break something, but Jack didn’t say anything, didn’t even flinch.</p><p>Jack started talking to Ford about the shot he took that saved Jack’s life, and Mac tried his best to focus on the familiar tone and cadence of Jack’s voice, the way the callouses on his hand felt against Mac’s fingers. Desi sat across from them, and she knocked her boot into Mac’s gently, smiling at him when he looked at her, and his nerves settled a little bit. To give his mind something to do, he started calculating how much time Jack had probably spent on a plane in his life, and the answer was... a lot. Like, a <em>lot</em>. Probably more time on planes than on the ground, if he was being honest.</p><p>He stopped counting when he had to stifle a yawn, realizing how exhausted he was. Even though they slept a little in that cabin, it was cut short by Mac’s nightmare, and then their... activities, and after running around the woods and getting shot at, Mac was tired. Not caring about anyone seeing them, Mac shifted a little in his seat and then rested his head on Jack’s shoulder, not letting go of his hand. Jack paused his conversation to kiss the top of his head and then went back to talking to Ford as if nothing unusual happened. Mac’s heart swelled with affection... and then he closed his eyes, falling asleep right away.</p><p> </p><p>~***~</p><p> </p><p>When they landed in LA a few hours later, Jack felt tension he didn’t know he was carrying in his shoulders ease. It was nice to be back on the ground, and he nudged Mac gently to wake him up—when the kid’s body decided he needs to sleep he wound up crashing through anything, up to and including a hurricane. He lifted his head off Jack’s shoulder and blinked, sleepy and adorable, his eyes widening when he realized they already landed.</p><p>“Looks like you don’t have to blame me for a plane crash after all,” James commented, chuckling when Mac squinted at him. “Come on, I’ll drive you two home.”</p><p>When they got to James’s car Jack got in on the backseat, assuming Mac would ride shotgun, so he was surprised when Mac clambered after him, pressing against his side right away. He was clearly not entirely awake just yet because he snuggled against Jack’s body, his face pressed into his neck as Jack wrapped his good arm around his shouldered. James didn’t say anything, only smiled at Jack in the rearview mirror, and Jack still couldn’t wrap his mind around James apparently not hating him. He drove them to Mac’s house and once they got there, it turned out that Mac fell asleep again, snoring softly against Jack’s neck, so he gently nudged him awake, smiling when Mac whined a little.</p><p>“Hey, baby, we’re home,” Jack muttered into his hair. “You know I’d happily carry you, but I can’t really do that right now.”</p><p>Mac grunted like Jack’s broken arm insulted his mother and got out of the car, Jack following along behind him. James opened his door and then his arms, and Mac leaned in to give him a hug. “I’m glad you’re okay, Angus,” he said, just loud enough for Jack to catch it, and then they broke apart. “I’ll have everybody come by tomorrow for lunch, okay? Take it easy.” He nodded at Jack, and then shut his door and drove off.</p><p>Mac tugged at Jack’s good arm and soon enough they were in the house, although Mac had to use the spare key he kept under a fake rock to get inside since his keys were one of many things they lost in the crash. As soon as the door shut behind them Mac pulled at Jack again, this time in the direction of his bedroom. “Need a shower,” he mumbled, then scrubbed a hand over his face and seemed to wake up a little more. “Go ahead and get undressed, I’ll get some plastic wrap for your arm.”</p><p>Jack arched his eyebrow at that but Mac was already gone, so Jack just chuckled to himself. Mac clearly assumed Jack would be taking the shower with him, and Jack definitely wasn’t going to argue with him about that, even though nothing fun would be happening—not with his arm in a cast and not with Mac barely awake. He kicked off his shoes and then headed into the bathroom. He would need some help taking his t-shirt off, but he managed to undo his jeans with one hand and then took them off as when Mac came back to wrap his arm.</p><p>Mac tossed the plastic wrap on the bed momentarily, which freed up his hand so he could take off the real sling they gave Jack at the hospital, and then he helped him pull his shirt over his head and the cast. He wrapped it in a thick layer of plastic and stripped out of his own clothes... and God, Jack couldn’t help himself. He put his hands on Mac’s hips—he could kind of use the casted one, he was at least able to bend his fingers—and pulled him in until they were pressed together and he could kiss Mac softly on the mouth.</p><p>Mac response was a little delayed thanks to the concussion and also the adrenaline crash, but he returned the pressure, his arms snaking around Jack’s neck, fingers skimming over the stubble on the back of his head. The kiss was slow and chaste, and it still managed to take Jack’s breath away. Mac basically melted against him and Jack wrapped his good arm around his waist when he felt Mac sagging.</p><p>“You’re adorable when you’re half-asleep,” Jack murmured against Mac’s lips, smiling a little. “Come on, baby, don’t fall asleep on me.”</p><p>“I thought I was adorable all the time,” Mac whined, and this time Jack laughed loudly, because he forgot that a half-asleep Mac basically had no filter.</p><p>Jack maneuvered them both into the shower, which became easier when Mac got it together enough to turn on the water. Jack had always loved the shower in Mac’s bathroom, it was huge and the water pressure was fantastic, unlike the shower in Jack’s apartment. As soon as they were under the warm spray Mac was on him again—he hissed when the water touched the back of his head, so Jack turned them a little to lessen the impact.</p><p>“I love you,” Mac said lowly, his lips moving against the skin of Jack’s throat, his fingers stroking at his neck and shoulders. “You should move in with me.”</p><p>Jack’s breath hitched when Mac nipped on the bruise he left on his throat the night before. “You’re... you’re serious?” he asked, his heart pounding, because all of this still felt like a dream. Mac only hummed in response, pressing his lips to the side of Jack’s neck next. “I’d love to, baby. If you’re... if you’re sure about this.”</p><p>“Mhmm, of course I’m sure.” Mac pulled back to look at Jack and smiled, his hand coming up to touch Jack’s cheek. He seemed to be fully with the program now, his eyes open all the way and no words slurring together. “I’ve just been rattling around here by myself since Bozer moved out, and now that we’re... together, I don’t have to worry about hiding how I feel.” He leaned in and kisses the corner of Jack’s mouth, lingering there, nuzzling at his cheek. “Which is good... because when we get out of this shower I want you to fuck me.”</p><p>Jack choked and it was a miracle that he didn’t slip and crack his skull open. He took a deep breath and quickly recovered, pressing his lips to Mac’s jaw and tightening his arm around Mac, sliding his hand down his back until he reached his ass. “Oh yeah?” he murmured against Mac’s skin, slipping his fingers between Mac’s ass cheeks and pressing them against his hole. “You did mention you’d be interested in that, that’s true.”</p><p>Mac pressed himself closer to Jack if that was even possible, close enough that Jack felt every inch of Mac’s soft skin and lean muscles against his body... and then the little shit stepped back, grinning at him so hard he looked like his face might break. “I’m very interested, but we should shower first, don’t you think?”</p><p>Jack groaned theatrically, but he couldn’t stop smiling either, and it was amazing how even something as intimate as showering together felt... normal. Once they were done, Mac scrubbed a towel through his hair but didn’t bother drying off otherwise, and then he glued himself to Jack’s side again, kissing his cheek and leading him out to the bed. He gently pushed Jack down until he sat on the edge of the mattress, and then immediately climbed on to his lap. He framed Jack’s face with his hands and pulled him into a deep kiss, not wasting any time and sliding his tongue into Jack’s mouth right away. Jack put his bad hand on Mac’s hip and wrapped his other arm around Mac’s waist, groaning into Mac’s mouth when Mac nipped on his lower lip.</p><p>Jack was completely intoxicated by everything about Mac—his smell, his taste, the warmth from his body. He laid back on the bed and tugged Mac with him, spreading his legs a little to let Mac settle between them, a spark of friction from that movement making them both moan even though it was early. He ran his good hand up Mac’s back until he could tangle it in his hair, gently breaking the kiss to look into those pretty blue eyes. “You sure you’re up for this, darlin’? We can always wait until tomorrow if you’re tired.”</p><p>Mac shook his head, leaning down to kiss the corner of Jack’s mouth. “I’m fine,” he murmured, trailing his lips down Jack’s jaw. “I’ve wanted this for so long, I don’t wanna wait any longer.” And he sounded so sure, so who was Jack to argue with him? He slid his hand out of Mac’s hair, slowly stroking his back as Mac went back to exploring his neck, sucking and licking his skin and driving Jack absolutely crazy.</p><p>“Oh, baby, you like making me insane, don’t you?” Jack couldn’t help the way his voice cracked when he spoke, not when Mac was dragging his teeth over his pulse. His hands weren’t idle either, sliding over Jack’s chest before caressing his ribs and hips.</p><p>When Mac lifted his head he grinned at him again, one of those wicked smiles that made Jack’s heart race faster. “Maybe a little bit,” he admitted, before stretching out his arm and opening his nightstand, pulling out lube and a strip of condoms. “You’re cute when you start blushing.”</p><p>“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard <em>that</em>,” Jack said with a grin before pulling Mac down for another kiss. He grabbed the lube from the mattress and somehow got it open with one hand, and he even managed to pour some on his fingers. Kissing Mac lazily, he slidd his hand lower, teasingly rubbing Mac’s hole before pushing one of his fingers inside. Mac gasped into the kiss, his fingers digging into Jack’s muscles, tensing and then relaxing beautifully into the pressure from that single digit. “There you go, darlin’,” Jack muttered, pumping his finger in and out slowly before adding another, scissoring them apart and shuddering when that made Mac whimper near his ear.</p><p>“Oh, Jack,” he breathed out, those two words edging toward a whine that peaked when Jack’s fingers brushed his prostate. “More, please, I... I need more.”</p><p>“Shhh, I’ve got you, baby,” Jack murmured into Mac’s ear, pressing a kiss to his temple. He nudged his prostate a few more times, reducing Mac to a whimpering, writhing mess, and then he added a third finger. He pushed his fingers even deeper and Mac moaned loudly, rolling his hips and pushing back against Jack’s fingers, panting into Jack’s neck. “Fuck, you’re so tight, baby,” Jack groaned when Mac clenched around his fingers, thrusting against Jack and grinding their cocks together. “You’re gonna take my cock so pretty, aren’t you?”</p><p>Mac made a sound low in his throat in response to those words, his teeth sinking into the muscle between Jack’s neck and shoulder. He shivered all over when Jack pulled his fingers out with an obscene squelching sound, and then sat up enough to kiss Jack on the mouth, one of his hands reaching for the lube. Apparently he was intending on riding Jack into the mattress and Jack wasn’t about to stop him, but he did want to make sure they were on the same page. “I’m good without a condom if you are, darlin’. I’m clean.”</p><p>“Me too,” Mac replied, completely breathless, and then he lubed Jack’s cock up, the touch almost enough to make Jack come on the spot.</p><p>Then Mac brushed his fingers through his hair, getting it out of his eyes, and the way he loomed over Jack... god, Jack had dreamt about this so many times. With one last grin, Mac lifted himself up and impaled himself of Jack’s cock, sinking down slowly with a long moan, nails digging into Jack’s chest. Jack didn’t know how this felt for Mac, but for him it was like getting wrapped up in tight, velvety smooth warmth that seemed to go on forever. Jack’s eyes actually rolled back in his head for a moment, a long groan escaping his body as his hands scrabbled for purchase against Mac’s thighs as he bottomed out, their hips pressed flush together.</p><p>“Oh, Mac, you feel so good,” he said, reverence in his tone even as his voice quaked. “So damn good, baby.”</p><p>His broken arm hurt a little when he moved it too fast, but at this point he didn’t really care. After a moment Mac rolled his hips a little, and that tiny movement was enough to make Jack see stars. Then he lifted himself up and slammed down harder, crying out and scratching down Jack’s chest before bracing himself on Jack’s body... and starting to move up and down as if he were born to do this. His rhythm was fast and dirty and passionate and Jack <em>loved</em> it, loved the wild look on Mac’s face as he chased his own pleasure, loved how his muscles clenched and rippled around Jack’s cock.</p><p>“Jesus, look at you,” Jack whispered, the words slipping out of his mouth, his brain too shot full of lust to control what he was saying. “You look so good on my cock, baby, just taking it like that. And I bet you’d just take it if I flipped you over too, huh? I’d get you all hot and bothered, moaning underneath me, then I’d fuck you until you came... and keep going. Would you like that?”</p><p>Mac moaned loudly, slamming himself down on Jack’s cock, and when their eyes met, Mac’s gaze was full of lust. “Please, Jack, please, I’m... <em>please</em>.”</p><p>Jack moved fast, thrusting up into Mac before pushing him on his back and rolling on top of him, his cock sliding out of him. Not caring about his broken arm, he braced himself on his good arm and thrust back in, not holding back, groaning at how Mac arched underneath him. He set up a pace, fucking Mac fast and hard, relishing the sounds Mac made, moaning and gasping with every slam of Jack’s hips. One of his legs wrapped around Jack’s waist and he clawed at Jack’s back with his nails, and Jack could tell he was close, his shouts getting more and more desperate.</p><p>“Jack, oh my god, <em>Jack</em>,” Mac whimpered, his eyes glazed over, and just as he was about to fall over the edge... Jack stilled almost completely, slowing his thrusts down to little twitches. Mac sucked in a ragged breath and groaned his frustration, blinking back to reality to glare at Jack, although there was no real heat behind it. “You’re an ass.”</p><p>Jack couldn’t help but snicker a little, still thrusting in and out of him lightly. What he wasn’t expecting was for Mac to play dirty too, wrapping his other leg around Jack’s waist to join the first, his ankles crossed in the small of his back, heels digging into the top of Jack’s ass. He clenched down on Jack’s cock the next time he pushed in and used his legs to hold him inside, a hand coming around to rub over one of Jack’s nipples, flicking the sensitive skin.</p><p>“Come on, Jack,” he said, a challenge in those gorgeous blue eyes, even as his breath hitched when the head of Jack’s cock nudges his prostate. “You didn’t think you’d tease me without any repercussions, did you?”</p><p>Jack groaned when Mac kept touching him teasingly, but he was loving every second. “I think...” Jack murmured, leaning down to nip on Mac’s earlobe. “That you’re way too coherent.” With that he drew his hips back almost entirely before slamming back into Mac, hard enough to move him up on the bed. Mac cried out, throwing his head back, and soon Jack was back to pounding into him mercilessly, drawing out broken moans out of him with every thrust. “Yeah, you like that, baby?” Jack growled into Mac’s ear, not slowing down, panting against Mac’s skin. “Me fucking and taking you like that?”</p><p>“Oh, oh, <em>yes</em>, Jack, you know I do,” Mac practically sobbed out, and for a half a second Jack wondered if this had gotten a little too intense, but for every harsh thrust he made into Mac’s body he saw the pleasure building back up in Mac’s face, so he kept going. This proved to be the right choice, because it only took another direct hit on Mac’s prostate for him to come with a scream, clenching down hard on Jack’s cock as covered his own abs and chest in come. And despite all his dirty talk, Jack was going to stop fucking him, he was—at least until Mac wrapped all four of his limbs around him and squeezed hard. He shook all over from the intensity of his orgasm, but his words were steady and sure when he spoke against Jack’s ear: “Keep going, Jack. Want you to come in me, make me yours.”</p><p>“Fuck, baby,” Jack groaned, and continued thrusting into him. His arm hurt but he could barely feel it, completely wrapped up in Mac, who was gasping with every slam of Jack’s hips, taking it without a protest. Jack buried his face in Mac’s neck, panting against his skin and chasing his release, his thrusts growing sloppier and tougher as he let go completely. He kept up the brutal pace and he was so close, balancing on the edge, and he bit down on Mac’s neck. “So fucking beautiful,” he panted. “And all mine, aren’t you? All mine.”</p><p>“Yours,” Mac said, his voice breaking down the middle of the word. “All yours.”</p><p>And that was all it took to send Jack tumbling over the edge, heat exploding low in his belly as he came, the way he groaned Mac’s name muffled against the skin of Mac’s neck. “Oh, God, I love you so much,” he breathed out, hips working in little circles as he filled Mac up with come. Eventually he stilled, staying buried inside Mac as they both came down from their highs. He collapses on top of Mac, breathing heavily, Mac panting and trying to catch his breath as well.</p><p>After a moment he felt Mac’s arm circle his waist, hugging him close, his lips kissing Jack’s temple. “I love you too,” Mac muttered, sounding exhausted. “Are you okay?” he asked, one of his hands stroking Jack’s back while he put the other one on the back of Jack’s neck.</p><p>Jack had to laugh at that, aware it sounded a little hysterical and not caring at all. He managed to lift his head enough to kiss Mac’s cheek, nuzzling under his jaw. “I’m fucking amazing,” he drawled, smiling when Mac chuckled underneath him. He lifted his good hand and carded it gently through Mac’s hair, still damp from the shower. Suddenly, worry rose in his throat, and he pulled back enough to look Mac in the eyes. “Are <em>you</em> okay? Was that... was any of that too much? I know I got mouthy there for a while.”</p><p>“I’m great, Jack.” Mac smiled, and his eyes glinted happily. “It was... it was perfect.” He pulled Jack down for a soft, gentle kiss, smiling again when Jack turned his head to kiss his wrist. “It’s official, though—you literally <em>never</em> shut up.”</p><p>“I spew bullshit constantly, you know that,” Jack said, letting his fingernails scratch lightly over Mac’s scalp. It was his turn to grin when Mac pushed into his touch like a cat. “But I wasn’t bullshitting you—you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, darlin’.”</p><p>Mac bit his lower lip, driving Jack insane, and his cheeks colored in a pretty shade of red. “I could say the same thing about you,” he said softly, pulling Jack down until he was lying on top of him again. “How’s your arm by the way?”</p><p>“It hurts,” Jack admitted, and shifted around until he could pull out, also straightening out his casted arm at the same time. “But trust me, I wasn’t thinking about that while we were busy.” He saw it when that flush on Mac’s face spread down to his neck and planted a gentle kiss against his throat. “So about me moving in here... you know if I do that I’m never leaving, right? Like there’s no way in hell you’ll get rid of me.”</p><p>“Good,” Mac said, that blinding, sunshine smile appearing on his face. “I never want you to leave and I’m planning to keep you here forever, so... it works out quite well, don’t you think?”</p>
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